Quality Manager - Portugal

About the role

Quality Manager Reports to: Project Coordinator / Development Director Project 200MW Data Centre Build, Portugal Location / Deployment Onsite - Sines, Portugal About Nscale At Nscale, we are building the infrastructure for Europe’s AI revolution. Nscale are developing cutting-edge sovereign generative AI solutions, powered by a new generation of high-performance, sustainable data centres and GPUs built specifically for AI workloads. The growth of artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented global demand for compute and GPU infrastructure. Nscale is positioned at the heart of this transformation — building the platforms that will enable the next decade of innovation. Nscale are working closely with the world’s most advanced AI technology providers, integrating next-gen compute hardware and GPU clusters in both partner and Nscale built facilities. This is an opportunity to join our journey, play a key role in delivering transformative AI infrastructure, and help shape a company designed to scale rapidly across Europe and beyond. Role Overview The Quality Manager provides owner-side quality assurance governance across all phases of the programme. The role does not replace or duplicate the quality management function held by the site delivery team -it provides Nscale with independent oversight of those functions, ensuring quality processes are in place, being followed, and are adequate to protect the owner’s position. In practice, this means gaining visibility through the project delivery quality structure, scrutinising what is being reported and verified, and intervening with authority where standards are not being met. The role is project-wide in scope but will provide particularly close support to the Infrastructure Lead given the volume, complexity and delivery risk associated with the OFCI and power infrastructure programme — where owner-side quality assurance at the point of inspection and acceptance is critical. The Quality Manager is the owner’s escalation point for non-conformance and compliance issues across all workstreams, responsible for ensuring NCRs are raised, tracked, and resolved to Nscale’s satisfaction — not simply closed by the delivery structure. Key Responsibilities - Review and assess quality management plans, ITPs and audit programmes produced by the delivery structure — ensuring they are adequate and hold the delivery teams to appropriate standards. - Attend key site inspections, hold points and witness tests on behalf of Nscale — including OFCI delivery inspections, area walkdowns, construction FOK, etc— providing independent owner-side assurance at critical quality milestones rather than relying solely on contractor or QA reporting. - Review contractor QA submittals where applicable, method statements and material approvals submitted through the governance structure; provide Nscale’s technical commentary and flag concerns for resolution before works proceed. - Coordinate and manage all owners quality interfaces end to end working closely with the infrastructure delivery and OFCI workstreams, carrying out physical inspection and witnessing support where required. - Monitor the NCR register maintained by the delivery structure — scrutinising whether NCRs are being raised appropriately, whether root causes are properly understood, and whether close-out standards are adequate from the owner’s perspective. - Raise NCRs directly on behalf of Nscale where the delivery structure has failed to identify or record a non-conformance — particularly during OFCI delivery acceptance, site inspections and FAT witnessing. - Track all open NCRs and compliance actions across the programme; provide Nscale leadership with a clear, current view of outstanding items, escalating systemic issues or unresolved NCRs to the Project Coordinator. - Ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulatory requirements across the programme — including Portuguese statutory requirements, ISO 9001, and relevant data centre quality standards. Reporting & Escalation - Produce independent owner-facing quality status reports for the Nscale leadership team — covering NCR status, audit findings, compliance risks and quality performance across all workstreams, distinct from delivery-side QA reporting. - Provide early warning of emerging quality risk across the programme — identifying patterns in non-conformances, audit findings or contractor QA performance that represent a risk to programme outcomes. - Advise workstream leads across the Nscale team on owner-interface quality obligations — ensuring the team understands what Nscale must do, witness, approve or formally accept at each stage of the programme. Skills & Competencies Required - Deep knowledge QMS requirements and their application to construction projects — with the ability to assess and challenge contractor QMS compliance from an owner's perspective - ITP review and audit coordination: able to evaluate the adequacy of contractor-produced ITPs rather than write them - Non-conformance oversight: experience monitoring and driving resolution of NCRs through a delivery structure rather than managing them directly - Experience with data centre-specific quality standards (e.g. Uptime Institute, TIA-942) highly advantageous - Proficiency in quality management and document control platforms used to track contractor QA/QC workstreams - Thorough understanding of MEP systems quality requirements in critical facility environments - Strong influencing and challenge skills — able to hold contractor and PMO quality functions accountable. Experience Profile - Minimum 8–10 years' experience in quality management or quality assurance roles on major construction or critical infrastructure programmes - Demonstrable data centre or mission-critical facilities experience preferred - Proven experience in an owner-side, client-side, or independent quality assurance role — assuring contractor QMS rather than operating as a contractor QA manager - Track record of engaging effectively through governance structures to drive quality outcomes Equal Opportunities Statement At Nscale, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace. We believe that a variety of perspectives enriches our work environment, and we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. If there's anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know. For information on how Nscale handles candidate personal data, please see our Employee & Candidate Privacy Notice: Here. Nscale does not accept unsolicited candidate submissions from recruitment agencies.